


Endings Can Be Beautiful

by ravenhairedtrickster



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Vancouver Canucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2013-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-27 19:44:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenhairedtrickster/pseuds/ravenhairedtrickster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henrik is in critical condition and on life support. Alex and Daniel stay by his side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Endings Can Be Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Hockey season has rolled around again. Have some angst.

There's no meaning in their words, and he can't decipher the scribbles on the clipboard that the nurse holds. He expects the worst and he won't deny it if someone questions the tear tracks that stain his cheeks. Maybe he broke down, maybe he punched the plastic window- resulting in bruised knuckles on top of the shit news.

Alex feels selfish, somewhere in the hospital Daniel is hurting just as much if not more, yet he's the one eating up all of the visitor time, he's the one holding Henrik's hand and begging between kisses that fall on unresponsive lips that it all be a bad dream. In hindsight they probably give Daniel exception to the allotted time frames, and sure enough the next time Alex arrives Daniel is asleep in a chair, his face thin, dark circles under his eyes. 

The team is restless, a few visit- nobody has been appointed captain yet. Roberto offers kind words to Daniel, leaves a goofy stuffed animal, Alex almost smiles then, if only because it seems like the sort of thing that would actually make Henrik happy. Daniel doesn't smile, he leaves the room in search of privacy, the hours are ticking down, the clock keeps even metronome with the beeping monitors and when he returns Alex can see in the glass of his blue eyes that he's been crying. 

It falls on the fifteenth day as well as their birthdays that Alex brings in a lone white rose. It's half way to wilting already but the hospital could offer no better. He puts it on the stand next to the bed, sits down in the chair beside it. He leans over, presses his face to the blankets, takes a frail hand in both of his and kisses each finger twice.

“Happy birthday,” he whispers.

The remainder of the day is spent with team mates coming and going, leaving things whether it be letters that will remain unopened or gifts wrapped. Daniel let's his emotions go, stands at the edge of his brothers bed, cries even when Alex embraces him from behind, sighing soft words of comfort into his ear. 

They wait for the first alarm to go off, a tired tune that only succeeds in causing their throats to tighten- that's at 5am; the next two fall at 7am then 8am. By now Henrik would be awake, taking a shower while Daniel brought breakfast back to the room. 

Daniel is trembling now, trying to stifle sobs, he holds Henrik's hand as everything is shut off. Alex savours one last kiss; Henrik slips away quietly, peacefully, breath warming Alex's mouth for the final time. On the table the rose is shrivelled- yet even in death it retains its beauty.


End file.
